My Jesus Doesn't Hang Out on a Cross

Easter Sunday
Last night I was awakened twice: at midnight as all the bells in the city clanged to announce the resurrection, and again at 4:30 as the last paso of the year passed close to my house, the brass band playing music mournful and triumphant at the same time. That was more or less the end of Semana Santa. “Sunday, that’s just the resurrection, so not much happens,” as one of my friends told me. Just the resurrection. Quite an interesting conversation topic.

Even though I did not make it back to Sevilla in time to see much, Saturday afternoon I decided to go see a couple pasos. I arrived very early so I was able to stake my claim in the second row of people at an arch a few meters from the church the paso was leaving from, something you don’t do if you don’t like pressing crowds, but interesting if you’re trying to understand everything taking place. The paso lasted almost 2 hours, and began with a band followed by a group of nazarenos. Nazarenos are people completely covered in robes and black cone-shaped hoods with 2 slits for their eyes so they cannot be identified or distracted. Most carry huge candles of different colors or scepters of gold or silver, but the most devout or penitent carry wooden crosses. They also carry candies so as not to scare the children, and little cards with a photo of that particular Virgen or Christ. They are scary-looking enough in the daylight, but I can assure you they are downright frightening when you’ve never seen them before and happen upon a group of them still in costume while walking home alone in the middle of the night.

After the nazarenos in the procession come a figure of Christ on the cross carried on a huge rectangular base decorated in the baroque style with intricate gold, cloth, and fresh flowers. The figures are carried by rows of men hidden underneath, supporting the weight on the back of their necks and moving them forward to the music. The boyfriend of a girl I know is very serious about doing this every year; he says it is a way to physically remember the death of Christ. But other people aren't so serious about it. When the figures go by, all the people in the street applaud and try to reach and touch them. After that, other bands, nazarenos, and figures go by, as well as groups of other men carrying incense or the gold or silver treasures of that particular Brotherhood. The virgin is always the most important figure in the paso, and lots of people become emotional when they se her.

The funny thing about Semana Santa is that although it is a religious celebration, lots of people who never go to mass celebrate it just as much. And many people who told me they hate it and it was better just to leave town because of crowds, closed stores, and blocked roads, attended dozens of pasos and were very excited about their favorite ones. It really is just as much, if not more, a social celebration than a religious one, but I’m not sure you can really separate those two things here.
After the first paso, I followed a herd of people to see part of another one, but I can’t really get into it. The figures are gorgeous, but the fact remains that my Jesus is not still on the cross. And it's hard for me to picture him dying surrounded by gold and fine cloth. Yes, his death was very important and we should remember it, but it is even more important that he conquered death and lives today. And as my pastor here pointed out, while Holy Week is good, we should celebrate that every week, not just once a year. Happy Easter, y’all.